Snape-shots

This is a group of short snapshots that might be strung together for a story. They are not in chronological order. For now most are dealing with Snape's first year at Hogwarts.

#1.

"The owlry is for owls. That is not an owl!" Sirius shouted for the fifth time.

"Yes it is!" Severus shouted back, again. "And you better leave it alone!"

"Or what?"

"Or - - " Snape aimed his wand at Black sending a warning blast in his direction.

"Oh no you don't Sniv." James Potter had to butt in. He fired a slight jolt to Severus' wand hand. "Why don't you just get that molting old crow out of here and it will be over?"

" Gibbets has every right to be here as your dumb old birds."

"But our dumb birds are owls," Sirius pointed out. "Your dumb bird is a crow."

"Excuse me." The boys didn't notice the headmaster had joined them in the owlry. They all looked surprised. "I'm afraid Severus is correct. That is an owl."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore held up a hand, indicating he was not finished. "An owl disguised as a raven."

"And why would an owl be disguised as a," Black wanted to say crow, but he used Dumbledore's word, "Raven?"

"Oh, one never knows if said owl might need to go into places where it needs to appear to be a raven."

"So there," Snape interjected with an air of triumph.

"On the other hand," Dumbledore said as he took out his own wand. "This is not one of those places." With a puff the large ominous raven turned into what it was; the smallest of owls, the screech, no bigger than its owner's hand.

Sirius and James burst into laughter and jeered at poor gibbets as they left the owlry. Black could not, despite the close proximity of the headmaster, help but get in a last dig. "A perfect match."

Behind their backs, Snape was reaching for his wand again. Dumbledore cleared his throat and admonished, "I don't think that's a good idea." This made Sev put the wand back in his pocket, but left a cross look on the boy's face. "You are going to have to learn a different way to deal with these differences."

Sev wanted to tell Dumbledore strait what kind of jerks those two had been all that first week, but he had a feeling his arguments would fall on deaf ears. The fact that Dumbledore had stuck up for him this time didn't change the fact that Gryffindors were the headmaster's favorites. Snape's demeanor seemed to sink before he did say something. "Gibbets can't help it if he's different." The boy was stroking the owl between its eyes.

"I know," Dumbledore said understanding that statement could apply to the boy who had said it as well. "I know."

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#2

Professor McGonagall paced and wrung her hands. "That child may be talented in other areas," she explained to Dumbledore. "But he has none what so ever in transfiguration."

"Ah, pity." The headmaster spoke as his glasses slid down his nose.

"Young Mr. Snape is lucky not to have a concussion. Flew strait into the wall, several times."

Dumbledore looked up. His interest peaked. "Flew into it?"

McGonagall nodded. "As a non-aerial bat."

"But he DID transform into the bat?"

"Yes - - "

"All be it one with a bad sense of direction."

"Yes."

"Then I think we'd better keep him in your class for a little while."

"Very well." These words dripped with disagreement and disappointment.

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#3

By the time he was finished the books were piled so high Snape could not really see where he was going. One wrong turn and he whacked right into the headmaster. Dumbledore's quick wand work kept the books and the boy from falling to the floor. Snape was placed back on his feet and the books fell into two piles.

"Hello there young Snape," Dumbledore said with a glint in his eye, "It is Snape, right?"

"Y - - yes sir," the boy answered.

"A little light reading?"

Snape nodded.

"It's only your first day."

Snape wasn't sure if he should answer.

"I think you can do without these," Dumbledore said as he sent all the dark arts books floating back to the stacks.

"But - - " Severus protested, "I want to read those."

"You've got seven years to do that."

Snape was his placid self. Dumbledore continued to try and bring the boy out of himself. "You've got quite a mix of subjects here." No reply. "You might want to narrow down a bit."

"I - - " Snape stopped himself.

"Go ahead."

"I - - " he couldn't talk back, not to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore was grinning. "You disagree. You want to know - - "

Snape felling a bit safer finished, "about everything." The sullen boy actually, almost, had a gleeful look on his face.

"An admirable goal, but no one knows it, all."

Feeling even braver Sev piped up, "You do."

"Oh no young Snape. I know a lot, but not everything." Dumbledore began to walk away. "Sure you wouldn't like to go outside a bit?"

Snape went back to his short answers. "No."

"A little sun perhaps," Dumbledore added from further away. "Might do you some good."

Snape watched Dumbledore disappear around the corner. "I don't think so."

Severus picked up the books that remained, adding one of the ones that Dumbledore had sent back, and went to find a quite place where he could be undisturbed while he inhaled the knowledge.

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#4

Lucius Malfoy looked over the small group of eleven year olds, trying to access which ones would be the most use to the house of Slytherin, or rather him and his toady friends. He would of course have others find out the details of each first years talents. At the moment he wanted a general idea of what they had to work with. He recognized a good portion of them. Some families were unmistakable. He acknowledged a few with the greeting, "Ah, good to see you." He went on to inform, "Some of you have certain obvious talents, such as Mr. Mulciber."

Mulciber looked up surprised to be on the prefect's radar so soon.

"Though first years can not be on the team, he has already come to our attention as someone who should be given 'special' attention. I will personally be teaching Mr. Mulciber and a few others he subtle ins and outs of quidditch."

This announcement made the first years appropriately let out a collective "oooh."

"We let the boys who get 'special' attention stay in a 'special' room;" In other words a privileged room. Malfoy pointed to a doorway. "You may put your things in there and, relax"

"Let's see - - " Malfoy scanned the group again and named a few more boys bound for quidditch glory. They were sent to their room.

Many of the new Slytherins were beginning to think that the only thing that mattered to the older ones was that silly game.

"You there," Lucius pointed out one of the boys. "What is your wizarding heritage?"

"Me?" the boy gulped out.

"You."

"My father is a wizard in the Ministry of Magic." The boy looked nervous. "My mother is a witch, but she stays at home."

Lucius looked at his friend standing to his left and gave a slight eye roll. Even the first years could tell the boy had done something Malfoy didn't like.

"You little liar," Malfoy hissed. The Slytherin prefect grabbed the boy by his tie and pulled him forward violently. "I know very well your mother is a mudblood. Making you a half-blood. I don't know how that stupid hat could have sorted you into this house." Malfoy pushed the boy over to the side. "You stay over there." He was now scanning the group again. "You." He pointed to another boy, his finger practically up the boy's nose. "What is your wizarding heritage?"

This boy took a different tact. He told the truth. "I have a grandfather who was a muggle." Malfoy's finger went from that boy to the spot next to the other boy that had already been put aside.

"But I come from a long line of great wizards and witches," the boy protested.

"Well then, let's hear."

The boy named off a few of his ancestors, but Malfoy wasn't impressed.

"Not good enough. Over there."

The boy hung his head and took his place next to the other boy.

"You, you, you, and you," Malfoy now pointed out four others. "I know you are pure-bloods. You go into the common room." Malfoy's friends parted and let those four in. Lucius' eyes now fell on the odd little figure of Snape, who was trying his hardest not to be notice. It was not possible. At first Malfoy wondered how such a scruffy looking string bean could have been in the school at all, let alone in Slytherin house.

"You there," Malfoy called. "You are?"

Snape stood as tall as he could and said with all pride ringing in his voice, "Severus Snape, full-blood." It was a bit comical as his robes were so big on him it looked like wings.

"Snape - - Snape." Malfoy was thinking. "That is not a name I am familiar with, and I am familiar with all of the pureblood names." He looked at the boy with extra scrutiny.

"That side of my family is - - " Snape formed the fib as cleverly as he could. " - - Foreign." Before the older boy could ask more he added, "Never been to Hogworts, home schooled."

"And yet you are here."

This time Severus told the truth. "My mother's ancestry, and therefore mine, can be traced back to one of the first to be taught by Salazar Slytherin himself."

This seemed to impress all but Malfoy who was quick to point out, "As can mine, on both sides. You Snip into the common room."

"It's Snape, not snip." Snape showed he was not about to have that sort of thing going on. Malfoy did not press the matter any further. He ignored it as a matter of fact. He was too busy sorting out the remaining boys to bother. When those boys were sorted out the prefect jointed them in the common room and announced, "I have a little task you all of you."

Fears of scrubbing nasty things with toothbrushes crossed a few of the boy's minds. Malfoy had not intended to give them relief but what he said next did. "We want to know just how clever our new little Slytherers are; who deserves to join the others in the 'special' room." Lucius waved his wand and piles of parchment and quills flew over towards the new boys. "I and my friends would like you to write down all the spells you know. Any little hex, curse, or jinx will do."

The newly arrived looked at each other wondering why the prefect was acting like a teacher. "Well then, get to it."

The young Slytherins complied and began scratching down all the spells they could think of. Malfoy and his toadies waited out in the hallway thinking up ways to torment the poor few who had been deemed less desirable because of their blood status. They were going to have to prove themselves worthy of being Slytherin. It wasn't too long before Lucius said, "They're getting restless in the common room. They must be done. Rosier go find out."

Rosier obeyed, going into the common room. Most of the first years had stopped writing and were exploring the room. Some were just finishing up. All but one, who was still feverishly writing, Rosier went back to report.

"Well?" Lucius inquired.

"All but one is finished."

"One?"

"The scrawny one."

"Snape is it? Must be a bit slow. Too bad."

Before Rosier could say no, Lucius had swept into the common room. "All set are we?" His phony smile danced on his face. "Everyone I see except Snape. It's all right if you can't think of any - - " Malfoy had now actually looked at the boy to see that there was a long list of spells flowing down his parchment. Sev had even left many of the ones he knew off of it on purpose. " - - More."

A spark of glee appeared on Malfoy's face as he plucked up the parchment even before Snape took the quill off of it. The older boy scanned the list. He looked over the top of it to ask the younger boy, "All of these, work?"

Slowly Snape responded, "Yeeees." He did not add aloud what he was thinking. 'I wouldn't have written them down if they didn't work.'

"Eleven, and you know all these spells?" Lucius was intrigued.

"Yeees"

"Your parents must be proud."

The pause was longer this time but the answer was the same drawn out, "Yeees."

"A man of few words as well."

This time Snape didn't even respond. "I think you're clever enough for the special room." Malfoy went to give the little boy a pat on the head, and then had second thoughts. "Good job." Lucius' hand landed on Severus' shoulder, nowhere near his hair. "Go on. Take your things to your room." With that the Slytherin prefect turned to the other remaining first years. "Let's see who else is clever."

#5

The hazing wasn't that extreme. After all they were just a bunch of eleven year olds. The tests were supposed to let the older boys see what the new ones were made of. Even if they were harmless, they should have scared the proverbial crap out of the first years. So why was that Snape kid standing there calm as could be, practically insulting them.

"Armatures," Snape hissed from his place in the line.

"What did he just call us?" Rudy Lastrange asked Malfoy.

"Am - - ma - -tures," Snape repeated.

"Not scared eh? Snip?" Malfoy pressed in close to the back talking boy. He was trying to look his fiercest.

"Snape." The younger boy was determined to capture the older boys respect.

"Not scared Snape?"

"Not in the least." Sev's face never changed its hard expression.

"So what would scare you?" Malfoy said as if speaking to himself. "What is our Mr. Snape afraid of?" Lucius' wand was whipped out faster than a branch of y the whomping willow. Just as quickly it was up against the side of Snape's temple. Snape could feel something being extracted.

"Hey!" The younger boy jumped out of the way. It was too late because a memory had already been pulled out. Malfoy was now holding the wand at his own temple. His eyes went white as they rolled up into his head. His body shook a bit before he reached up once more to pull out the memory. When extracted he flung it back towards Snape. Everyone could see Malfoy shaking slightly. Snape was still perfectly placid.

Malfoy turned to Snape and questioned, "What muggle did that to you?"

"Not a muggle," Snape answered. Malfoy was giving him a look that still wanted to know. "My dear Granddad." Snape's eyes narrowed. "Had to be sure I wasn't a squib, or worse. Figured if I could survive I was worthy - - " Sev didn't say the truth 'to live,' but continued, " - - to carry on the bloodline."

"And I thought my family was rough," Lastrange let slip.

Some color had returned to Malfoy's face he informed Snape, "Go on, go back to the dorm. You pass."

There was a clear moan of disappointment that there would be one less first year to terrorize. Snape, on the other hand, left thinking that it had gone rather well; less work to convince his fellow Slytherin of the validity of his claim to full-blood heritage.

Back at the edge of the woods the older boys were asking Malfoy a furry of whispered questions.

"What'd you see?"

"What happened?"

"Come on tell us."

When sure that Snape was out of earshot, Malfoy spoke so that only his cohorts could hear. "The old codger used a spell to bind the kids wrists and ankles, stuffed him in a sack, then threw him in a river."

"Now that's a tough squib test."

"No wonder he doesn't go near water."

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#5

"Severus." Lucius slithered up. A favor request was on its way. "You will be working on my potions midterm paper. Here are the particulars."

"But - - "

"I'm much too busy."

"But - - "

"You're not going to refuse? Are you?"

"No, but - - "

"I hope not. Not after my father's generosity."

Snape felt trapped. He still spoke up. "I only wish to point out, that if I do the paper, that your own knowledge with be, - - lacking."

"Ah, here's the thing," Malfoy moved in the way he always did when he wanted to make a point. "If you, my clever friend, do the research, I can then read it and be sufficiently informed, yes?"

" - - Yes."

"And make sure Jennings copies it when you're done."

"Jennings?" Snape had wondered why Malfoy had brought along the apparently useless Jennings.

"He has the best execution of my handwriting."

"I see."

"Feel free to partake of anything in the manor while you work on it." That being said Malfoy and the other seventh years went off to their amusements, leaving behind a very cross Snape. He was well aware of how he was being used. He almost thought about going back to the school rather than finish the summer there at Malfoy manor. He talked himself into doing as Malfoy had asked while munching on the snacks that had been left out. 'I'll do it this time,' Snape thought. 'But I'll only do (B) work."

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